Ep. 23 Balancing the Scales Cost, Technology, and FinOps

Ep. 23 Balancing the Scales Cost, Technology, and FinOps

Jul 12, 2024

In this episode of Cloud Control podcast, hosts Sean Harris and Danal Burke are joined by special guest Dvir Mizrahi, Head of Financial Engineering and FinOps at Wix.com. They discuss the transition from DevOps to FinOps and the challenges that come with it. Dvir explains how they took a ground-up approach at Wix, involving the Engineering teams in the FinOps process and aligning it with their existing processes. They also talk about the importance of tools in managing and monitoring cloud costs, and how Wix developed their own in-house tool to suit their specific needs.

Dvir shares insights into how FinOps has influenced their infrastructure decisions and the future of FinOps, including a shift towards a complete "shift left" agenda where engineers are hired with financial KPIs in mind. Discover more about the unique approach Wix has taken to integrate FinOps into their organization and the impact it has had on their cloud operations.

#finops #financialengineering #cloudcostmanagement

Spot by NetApp is a leading provider of software that empowers CloudOps teams to get the most out of their cloud. Our solutions help organizations optimize and automate their cloud use to maximize the value and availability of their cloud infrastructure while minimizing waste. LEARN MORE: https://spot.io

Guest: Dvir Mizrashi, Head of Financial Engineering https://www.linkedin.com/in/dvir-mizrahi / https://www.wix.com/

Host: Shon Harris, Developer Relations Lead, Spot by NetApp @inkedtater / swharr

Host: Danal Burke, Cloud Optimization Consultant, NetApp

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Timestamped Chapter Summary

00:04 - Overview of the podcast focus on cloud computing.

00:31 - Introducing Donald Burke and his role in cloud optimization and FinOps.

01:03 - Introducing Devir Mizrashi, Head of financial engineering and FinOps at Wix.

01:47 - Transition from DevOps to FinOps.

03:04 - Shift from financial observability to a ground-up financial engineering approach.

03:13 - Intersection of technical skills and financial management in FinOps.

04:13 - Benefits of a bottom-up approach in implementing FinOps practices.

04:57 - Challenges faced when initially adopting a top-down approach to FinOps.

06:28 - Advantages of integrating FinOps into existing engineering processes.

07:22 - How reframing the narrative from cost-cutting to efficiency gained engineering buy-in.

08:32 - Discussion on improving FinOps practices to enhance buy-in and effectiveness.

10:45 - Technical considerations in FinOps - choosing the right AWS instances & regions.

13:15 - Role of consultants in spreading FinOps best practices across different companies.

14:51 - Training approaches for FinOps focused on real business and technical needs.

17:18 - Discussing multi-cloud strategies and optimizing workload placement.

19:35 - Role of tools in managing and monitoring FinOps activities.

22:05 - Impact of FinOps on technology choices and architecture within companies.